i 
‘=) 
a3 
» 
ity 
® 


HOW TO LAY AND 
CARE for LINOLEUM 


How to Put Down Linoleum 


F you want your linoleum to last as it 

should, it must, in the first place, be laid 

properly. So it will be well worth your 
while to read these directions, and then 
follow them carefully: 

On Wood Floors: The wood itself should 
be dry and well seasoned, and you must see 
that the surface is smooth and even. This 
is extremely important, as otherwise the 
linoleum is apt to break, owing to the un- 
evenness of the floor underneath. 

In putting down the linoleum, cut it so 
as to allow for expansion; that is, do not 
attempt at first to make it fit tight. For, 
after having been rolled up for several weeks 
or months, it is bound to continue to “grow” 
for some little time after it 1s laid out flat. So 
let it lie loose on the floor for at least two or 
three weeks, giving it plenty of time to ex- 
pand as much as it wants to. If you do 
not do this the linoleum 1s apt to buckle, 
which not only gives it an unsightly appear- 


ance, but also causes it to wear out quickly. 
After expansion has ceased, fit it closely all 
around the room. 

In securing linoleum to wood floors, 
many people simply tack it down with ordi- 
nary carpet tacks. This is a great mistake 
for two reasons. In the first place, the tacks 
themselves are ugly. Number 18, 34-inch 
wire brads, spaced about four inches apart, 
should be used instead. In the second 
place, and what is far more serious, the 
joints in linoleum laid this way are not water- 
tight. Hence, moisture gets underneath, 
rots the wood, and naturally the result is 
that the linoleum breaks. 

Now, such trouble can be easily avoided 
by the use of waterproof cement, which we 
can supply. This cement is a sort of glue, 
made especially for laying linoleum. The 
ideal way is to coat the entire back of the 
linoleum with it, but this, of course, 1s quite 
a little work, and hence a good many people 


ightly 


serviceable ands 


? 


Sensible 


leum. 


Ino 


s® Li 


Armstrong’ 


in 


a 
i= 
u 
o 
= 
po] 
Ss 
a 
— 
s 
u 
° 
a 


inty 


floor than one of the da 


kes a prettier 


ing ma 


For bedrooms noth 


who follow this method get us to lay their 
linoleum for them. How the work is done 
is described further on. 

But the point we want to emphasize 1s 
this: Evenif you lay your linoleum your- 
self, you can easily cement the edges and 
seams—particularly around sinks, washtub 
legs, in front of doors, and other places 
where water is apt to gather—and thus 
avoid the trouble that always follows when 
water gets underneath. A little waterproof 
cement, a small paint brush and a few heavy 
objects to weigh down the linoleum while 
the cement is drying areall you need (except, 
of course, the wire brads), and your lino- 
leum will then be sure to give the service 
that you should get out of it. 

As stated above, the ideal way to put 
down linoleum is to coat the entire back 
with waterproof cement—not merely the 
edges and seams. A gallon of cement will 
ordinarily be sufficient for ten square yards 
of linoleum if the whole back is coated; 
while the same quantity will be enough for 
approximately twenty-five square yards if 
only the edges and seams are cemented. In 


applying the cement, the best way 1s to coat 
both the floor and the back of the linoleum 
—using an ordinary paint brush. Then 
when the cement has started to set—say five 
or ten minutes after it is applied—stick the 
linoleum in place. If any cement should 
get on the surface of the linoleum, remove 
it at once with alcohol. 

The surface of the linoleum must then be 
weighted down uniformly until the cement 
has fully set. For this purpose sand bags 
made of 10-ounce duck, 14 inches square, 
and weighing about 26 pounds each, are 
generally used. The weights should not be 
removed for at least twenty-four hours 
after the linoleum is laid. As an additional 
precaution, the linoleum should be nailed 
down with 34-inch brads, spaced about four 
inches apart, along the seams and around 
the edges. 

On Cement Floors: If you want to lay 
linoleum in your laundry, entry-way, bath- 
room or any other room that has a cement 
or tile floor, the only way to put it down 1s 
with waterproof cement. In such cases, it 
would be advisable to have our experienced 


Armstrong’s ® Linoleum in a fine-grained parquetry pattern is the ideal floor covering for the dining room, 
Bright and cheerful looking—easy to keep clean. 


men do the work for you, as the charge is 
moderate, and you would be sure then of 
getting a thoroughly satisfactory job. But 
should you desire to do the work yourself, 
this is the way to proceed: 

First, see that the surface is smooth and 
that the concrete is well seasoned. Some- 
times, even where the concrete appears to 
be perfectly dry, there is enough moisture 
left to affect the burlap back after the lino- 
leum is put down, causing it to shrink in- 
stead of to expand. Therefore, in the case 
of cement floors it is always advisable to 
let the linoleum “ride the base’’ for at least 
two or three weeks before any attempt 1s 
made to fit it closely. By this is meant 
that the linoleum should be cut full— 
allowed to curve up against the walls an 
inch or two allaroundthe room. Further- 
more, the seams should be lapped slightly, 
care being taken with figured patterns not 
to lap them enough to spoil the symmetry 
of the design. 

After all shrinkage or expansion has 
ceased, fit the linoleum closely and cement 
it down with waterproof cement, coating 


the entire back. The linoleum must then 
be weighted down uniformly over the 
whole surface until the cement has fully 
set. For this purpose, sand bags or props 
wedged between the floor and the ceiling 
must be utilized. 

Heavy Furniture on Linoleum: When 
linoleum is installed in places where the 
furniture is heavy, dome-shaped glass 
shoes should be substituted for the castors, 
for the latter will inevitably cut through. 
This is particularly true of chairs. The 
sliding glass shoes have a wide bearing 
surface and no rough edges. They are 
made in several sizes, have a similar shank 
to that on a regular castor and will fit in 
the same sockets. You can get them from 
us or from almost any hardware or furni- 
ture dealer. 

Handling Linoleum in Cold Weather: 
In cold weather linoleum becomes hard and 
brittle, andif unrolled when in that condition 
is apt to crack. If you buy linoleum in the 
winter months, therefore, be sure to keep 
the roll in a warm room for at least forty- 
eight hours before unrolling it. 


looks bright and clean. 


How to Care for Linoleum 


IKE anything else around the house, 

if you want your linoleum always 

to look well, and to last a long time, 

you must give it reasonable care and proper 
treatment. 

In washing it, don’t use soda, lye, potash 
or strong scouring soaps. They tend to rot 
the linoleum and destroy the colors. A 
mild soap—free from alkali—with clean, 
tepid water, is the only cleansing agent that 
should be used. The water should not be 
hot and the linoleum should be dried 
thoroughly immediately after it is washed. 
It is best to wash and dry about one square 
yard at a time. 

Your linoleum will last longer and the 
brightness of the colors will be retained and 
renewed if you will go over the surface oc- 


casionally—say every three weeks—with 
some good polish, being sure to ruéd it in. 
“Liquid Veneer, “linoleum Revivers 
or any good floor wax can be used for this 
purpose. A home-made polish that yields 
excellent results 1s easily prepared by dis- 
solving, under slow heat, one part of bees- 
wax in two parts of turpentine by weight. 
Care must be taken, of course, to avoid 
setting this mixture on fire while prepar- 
ing it. Whatever polish you use, don’t 
merely coat the surface with it. Rud it in 
thoroughly. 

If American housewives could but visit 
a few homes in England and Germany, 
where linoleum is always kept polished, 
they would realize at once how greatly such 
treatment improves its appearance. 


Way’ Me 


a 


4 


A cool matting design in Armstrong's ® Linoleum—with perhaps a small rug or two on top—will prove a constant source of pleasure and 
satisfaction. | Many beautiful colorings to match hangings and decorations. 


Why We Recommend 
Armstrong’s (A) Linoleum 


HE policy of this store has always 

been to sell only those lines of mer- 

chandise which we can stand back of 
with our own name and reputation. T’o 
satisfy you, to have you feel that whatever 
you purchase here is of good, reliable 
quality, has been and will always be our 
constant aim. 


And so wesell Armstrong’s @® Linoleum 
because we believe, in the first place, that 
the linseed oil it contains is pure, that the 
cork is clean, that the burlap is strong and 
evenly woven, that the colors are bright and 
lasting, and that all these ingredients are put 


together skillfully and carefully. In other 
words, because we believe it is good linoleum. 

The second reason we sell it is because of 
its varied and remarkably attractive patterns. 
“Patterns for Every Room in the House” 
is its manufacturer’s slogan, and it has been 
wisely chosen. Forin the Armstrong Line 
you will find wood patterns for dining rooms 
and libraries, carpet designs for living 
rooms, matting patterns and floral patterns 
for bedrooms and nurseries, together with 
a wide assortment of tile, mosaic and 
novelty patterns for bathrooms, kitchens, 
laundries and halls. 


Look over the Armstrong Line at your convenience 


When buying Linoleum 
Look for this Mark on the Back 


In the kitchen and pantry, Armstrong’s @® Linoleum helps keep things clean and sweet. No cracks for crumbs to creep inte—no danger 
of slipping when you’re in a hurry. 


oe 


Shs oi 


YUE 


fe es 


aS 


